First off, Jean-Sebastien Giguere has the absolute right to say what he did tonight. On a night where he moved into 47th placed on the all-time NHL list for games played by a goalie, Jiggy blew his top after the Avs’ 3-1 loss to the 29th-place Calgary Flames at home.

Jiggy has shown himself to speak his mind before during this season, but there was nothing to compare to his words tonight. After talking with Matt Duchene for a couple minutes after the game, I wound my way over to Jiggy’s locker to get his thoughts. One look at his fuming face, and I knew I needed to double-check whether my recorder was all set to go.

Here, in transcript form, is what Jiggy had to say. But first, as I said, this is a player who has earned the right to say something like this. He’s a passionate guy who has won a Stanley Cup and won a Conn Smythe Trophy for a losing Cup finalist. He’s a pro’s pro. But, as we’ll see here, he does not believe enough guys in his own dressing room are playing, or acting, like pros right now.

Jiggy started off by talking about the Avs’ on-ice problems from tonight and in general:

“As long as we don’t understand that we have to play better in our zone, we’ll never win any games. We have to do a better job in our own zone. That’s where it starts. We have to learn this at some point.”

OK, pretty strong comment there, about never winning any games if they don’t play better in their own zone. That in itself would have been a lead quote in any hack beat writer’s story, so I was ready to run with that in my mind as Jiggy kept talking. But, oh, that was tame compared to what was coming…

“The (allowing) the first goal is one part of it (problems), but I think it comes down to us not playing very well defensively. We spend too much time in our own zone, and that’s hard. That’s where it’s hard. We know we can score some goals, we have some offensive tools. But when you spend part of the second period in your zone and give up too many scoring chances, you’re not going to win games like that.

“We talk about it every day. At some point, we have to understand. There’s no more excuses. It’s not about being young, it’s not about … we have to put our head into the game.”

OK, still fairly strong stuff there. But after saying that, you could see Jiggy just sort of say to himself, “Screw this, I’m gonna go rogue here and really tell it like it is.” Which led to this:

“Some guys are more worried about their Vegas trip at the end of the season than playing the games, than playing every minute of the games. Quite frankly, I don’t care about your Vegas trip right now.”

Whoa. I gotta say, that is the strongest quote I’ve ever gotten from an Avs player in my 18 years covering the team. Patrick Roy came pretty close to that with a few statements. I remember one game, from the 1997-98 season I think, where Roy blew up at his teammates’ effort in a lopsided home loss to Dallas, saying something like, “All we do is make excuses around here.”

But that quote about Vegas? That will go down in history I have a feeling. But wait, there’s more:

“It’s not constructive. We have to find a way to get out of this losing mentality, you know? It starts with me and the guy beside me and everyone has to do their part.”

Then this, as Jiggy got even more red in the face with anger:

“It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to be here right now. It’s not even funny.”

I then asked Jiggy if the true problem with this team is just its lack of focus or preparation or pride or whatever, and he said:

“I don’t know what it is. I’ve been around for 15 years in this league and I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why we seem like we don’t care at points. I don’t know, I don’t know we seem like, you know — some guys are fighting to show that they belong in the NHL, some guys are fighting for contracts. And it’s just embarrassing, the way we, you know, the energy we have in the room and the way we approach practices and the way we approach this game. It’s not how you’re going to win any games in this league. I mean, this is a team (Calgary) that we can beat if we set our minds to it, and every day is the same story. I don’t know what to say. I’m beyond words right now.”

I then something to the effect of, “Hey, things are pretty good around here too about five weeks ago. You beat the Chicago Blackhawks and were at .500 and…” and then Jiggy cut me off to say:

“But that was just one game. It’s easy to get going when you play a team that is going to embarrass you if you don’t play well. You’ve got to play like this against every team in this league. There’s not one easy game in this league, so you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to play well every night. You’ve got to find a way to get yourself motivated and focused. It has nothing to do with who you’re playing. It’s about how you prepare yourself and how you approach the game. It’s not about which team you’re playing. Yeah, everybody’s going to get motivated when you play the Hawks. I mean, the building is full and that’s easy to do. But can you get yourself going when you play the Calgary Flames? Can you do that right now? And obviously, we’re too immature to do that.”

And that was pretty much that. I probably could have hung around a little longer and gotten into it more with Jiggy, but you got the sense that this was the end anyway and, well, I have deadlines.

A couple quick thoughts on this, but more tomorrow:

Jiggy has mentioned a couple of times how poorly he believes his team practices. That seems to fall under the heading of “maybe the team isn’t coached well enough”, as practice is truly the time for coaching in this league. Yet, Jiggy has not criticized Joe Sacco to me, even privately. I think Jiggy is just truly fed up with some of his teammates’ work ethic — or lack thereof.

I’m not going to speculate here on who the guys he might have been talking about who only care right now about their Vegas trips soon. He didn’t single anybody out, so I won’t get reckless and do that either.

If the Avs end up getting rid of Jiggy at all because of this sudden burst of honest, shame on them. He has another year left on his contract, with a no-trade clause. But I doubt the Avs would do that. If they’re smart — no jokes, please — they will admit: Giguere is right, and he’s exactly the kind of guy they need more of around here.

It sounds like there is a cancer on this team. Management needs to find it, and move to get rid of it fast. True competitors like Jiggy and Duchene are not going to want to sign in Denver to play with these clowns.

If only it were as simple as finding the root of the problem. Cancer spreads. I don’t trust management even knows what kind it is. It’s like they’ve cut out perfectly healthy stuff and kept right on chain smoking.

This and some of Duchene’s comments this season paint a pretty clear picture about just how dysfunctional this team really is. It’s depressing, we’re like the NY Jets of the NHL-with less press and hype. Changes have to be made, top to bottom, simple as that.

Thank you Jiggy for doing what no one else in this damn organization has the balls to do. I have even more respect for you than I did before. Unfortunately it probably means he’ll be gone cuz Lacroix can’t have someone speak out against the team he’s put together. Regardless he said what needs to be said. Calgary traded everyone away, their front office is trying to tank and their players aren’t obliging, we don’t have the same want-to in this organization. Disgusting.

And sorry Jiggy but practice is completely up to the coaches, you don’t want to come out and blame them, you’re a pro, but you inadvertently showed they aren’t doing their jobs either.

Only one change that stands a chance at righting a ship that’s veered this far off course, and that’s to find a new coach. Every team in the league has done it at some point, and it’s embarrassing that the Avs have waited this long to do it this time. In my opinion, they need new management, too, especially after the O’Reilly fiasco, but the bigger problem is clearly one of motivation as Jiggy pointed out. The best way to fix that is to give the team new leadership.

Agreed, but do you trust the Avs to pick the right guy? I don’t. They need a strong voice — someone established, with strong assistant coaches to support him. Instead, this organization (if Pierre Lacoix is allowed to continue the devolution) will go for another no-name they can control. They will thoroughly waste the promising young players they do have — the ones who DO put forth the effort every night and for some reason still believe in representing this team — and that infuriates me more than anything.

Clearly a few attitude players need to be gone before next season starts. O’Brien is the leading candidate; heck, the guy was more excited about this year’s Bonnaroo lineup than any Avs game. Jones … well, good luck finding a willing trade partner, Avs, now that he’s proven he has zero self-motivation, even after a benching.

Proxy-Owner doesn’t care about the half-there President, who doesn’t care about Greg from Accounting, who doesn’t seem to mind finishing his 4th season with a coach with a lifetime record of .493 – nowhere in the organization does there appear to be accountability. And this team still makes money, doesn’t it?

Players are cut out of negotiations without a word of explanation, traded over some percieved slight or attitude problem, underachievers are rewarded for towing the company line, the leading scorer is told to ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ – and none of these guys (save Kobasew) are playing for a fresh contract. Getting paid lots to play a game with no fear of consequence or reprisal, yeah it’s not fun to lose, but hey, #Vegas, right boys?

Worn with pride? The whole premise of ‘Your Colorado Avalanche’ is conceptually bankrupt.

I know he’s not the most popular guy around here (weird, we revile management /except/ in this one instance, where their stubbornness was somehow virtuous. just an observation) but he had 13 points in 15 games in March and averages more points per game than anyone who isn’t Duchene or Parenteau. I really don’t think any lack of success is on him.

(I mean, perhaps his return soured the room, but it’s not his performance.)

I agree with this. Nobody is going to deny that ROR brings talent to the table and the Avs were in theory better off with him on the ice but I think the fiasco embarrassed the team and distracted the players. Maybe most of the players can understand that everyone has a right to look out for their wallets but its hard to shake that one of your teammates wasn’t going to war with you for several weeks. I remember the year that Forsberg came back for his last hurrah and the team began to tank after the whole hooplah from that. Not at ALL knocking the addition of Forsberg here but more pointing out that this team has a history of not handling off ice distractions well.

I’d really like to know how O’Reilly feels about playing for the Avs. Takes a true professional to give a hundred percent when they hate who they work for. And I’d like to know the dynamics between he and his teammates.

Wait a min. The Vegas trip is invite only. Why are O’Brien and McGinn most likely for the Vegas trip? Giggy was talking about the NHL awards ceremony that is held in Vegas, not some random Vegas trip that guys are planning.

I’m leaning towards ROR and his situation as a part of this problem also. I mean, a guy makes it pretty clear he doesn’t want to be on this team and sets salary demands that seem to make it a virtual certainty he’ll be traded, members of his family release statements that seem to question the character of the Avalanche (both the organization and the players themselves), and then he signs with another team, pretty much erasing any doubt to his intentions and to what he thinks about this team… and the end result is that this guy ends up as the team’s second-highest-paid player. What’s that got to be like for the rest of that locker room?

O’Reilly has played fairly since his return, but there’s little doubt that the team that was working its tail off to keep its head above water without him is gone, and the “best product” team is this group that seems to be eroding before our eyes and getting worse by the day. O’Reilly may not be the reason this team is collapsing, but his presence sure as hell doesn’t seem to be doing anything to hold it together, either.

Okay, let’s just say your statements about O’Reilly was remotely true, then how does that account for the past 4 years of crappy hockey? Yes, I know we made the playoffs 1 of those 4 years, but we weren’t a very good team that year either, just a little better then the other 3 years, that’s all.

Point is, the Avs haven’t shown any zest for the game for quite some time and I seriously don’t think it’s because O’Reilly wanted more money than the cheap bastards were offering him. This is a team that’s deflated from the inside out, but has no bearing on O’Reilly’s contract. If it did, wouldn’t you suppose that players would get off of their butts to prove THEY are worth more than their current contracts?

I think we can discuss whether O’Reilly is, or is not, an issue in regards to the cohesiveness in the Avs locker room without having to also prove it over the previous three seasons of crappy hockey. Those were different teams with different things going on to cause them to also be crappy… yes, they were all on a similarly crappy path, but that doesn’t mean it’s been for all the same crappy reasons.

On THIS team, I think it’s unwise to dismiss the effect O’Reilly’s situation and its ultimate outcome may have had on the “deflation” of the team, especially when considering the sharp contrast in the team’s play before and after his return. They should have gotten better with the addition of ROR to the lineup — a lot better in fact — but the opposite has been true. While it’s not proof of anything, it’s certainly compelling evidence.

I would not assume that O’Reilly is one of the people Giggy is specifically talking about (could be, but I’d be surprised), but I really don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that the way he AND the team handled his holdout was a big factor to the downturn of this season and to the dissolution of the locker room that Giggy is talking about. Who knows, if he had held out the entire year or been allowed to go to Calgary, maybe this year wouldn’t have been the fourth crappy season in a row? Maybe we’d be talking about a .500 team hanging in there and making progress, like they were at the end of February?

I think O’Reilly’s holdout has effected this team about as much as it effects any other team when they don’t have one of their best players on the ice. They miss their talent and skill but ultimately know this is a business and say, ” we need to get back to work and play our game”. But I seriously doubt that his contract situation is the deciding factor (no pun intended) in the team losing more games after his return. But since so many people have steered the ship of failure his way since he’s been back, I’d like to point out that A) when he first rejoined the team, he was almost scoring a point per game up until a few games ago (in which case, pretty much everyone lost a step right around the same time, including Duchene) and B) Perhaps if he played more minutes, he would be more effective on the ice. But that’s Sacco’s doing, not O’Reilly’s.

In looking back at the last 4 years though, the teams we had each year were not THAT far from each other in terms of performance and outcome. They brought in a few guys, traded a few guys, let a few more walk for nothing, gave up some crucial draft picks (or failed to draft well overall), and everything else in between. Point is, it’s the same team every year with some good things and some bad things. Unfortunately though, the bad have out-weighed the good components arguably. And when you consider the lineups from each of those years, the finger has to return to Sacco and Sherman for the mediocrity we’re experiencing today, 4 years later.

As a Canucks fan; my opinion is that the Cancer is likely Shane O’brien; unless he’s a completely different person than he used to be – I’d be willing to bet he’s responsible for the “Don’t care” attitude as well harming some of your prospects.

He’s not wrong. O’brien has his entore offseason planned already with Paul Bissonnette and E from Entourage. Joffrey Lupul is pissed the leafs will actually make the playoffs this year so he can’t join them.

your right, O’brien is a party boy who does not care about team. I saw him at the predators game skating before game and he just kept winking to females in the stands and giving this ‘I am your dream guy’ look that made me want to puke. On the contrary Duchene and Landy were out there focusing on the ice and the game at hand. Go figure O’brien was a healthy scratch that game.

I think Landeskog has the capability to turn things around on this team. I have a lot of respect for his season last year, but the Avs need him to step up and not fall into the mold that this organization has formed.. the “Its all ok, dont say anything bad, everything is always positive, we just have to stay focused, we just have to, we just.. we just.. we just.” mentality. I dont regret him getting captaincy, we just need him to step up. He has been quiet all year, he was hugely voiced last year! I forget he is playing quite often and last year couldnt stop noticing him. Too much pressure being captain for a losing team maybe? I dont know. This has been a dismal season… #tankforseth is only 25% —- at best. Id rather get some dignity back. miss the playoffs after winning 8 straight would make me happier as a fan than the risk you run in a draft. we already have a “stellar” (by that I mean mediocre) #1 overall defenseman……… lol

I CANNOT comprehend how this has ZERO to do with coaching . ok maybe the guys don’t hate Sacco or on paper don’t disagree with his systems or whatever. But how exactly are a bunch of for the most part very young men supposed to get prepared and focused? Just wake up one day and all of a sudden they give a crap? Or wait around for the other 20 year olds to tell each other how to do it? What would be the point of a coach then? Just some guy to push paperwork around, give the nightly cliche filled press conference and make up line combinations? I am desperate to see what an experienced well-respected coach who has actually won something in the NHL would get out of the talent that is there. At this point what harm would it do.

And I’m glad Jiggy spoke out. I’m glad someone is embarrassed or at least is willing to admit it. For too long we’ve been forced to listen to cliches and vague mumblings about patience or finding confidence or some such eventually it will get better.

Also, adding ROR back was an embarrassing distraction to the team. They were playing with some occasional semblance of decency before then. Or maybe the team acted like they won the Stanley Cup when they beat Chicago because that was their solitary attainable goal for the season. How a coach doesn’t see that attitude and move to rectify it is beyond me.

a 19 year old captain in his second year in the league isn’t what you need on a team thats going to go through hard times in a season. Too much on Landeskog’s shoulders and its something the Avs need big time, a leader, a voice.

Considering there wasn’t even a captain last season until part way through they grudgingly gave it to Hejduk who has likely played his last game of hockey, Landy is an improvement. But seriously, Landy as the captain isn’t the root of this problem.

If they’re smart, they keep him around after his career. May I ask someone, anyone, how O’Reilly’s work ethic and attitude are these days? He just doesn’t seem too happy to be on the team (and I cannot pinpoint why I feel this way).

I wonder what the rules are for player-GM. Giguere just said what the fans have been thinking. This team has quit. For once, I’m NOT going to blame Sacco. He’s part of the problem, yes, but this attitude comes from the top down. Enos is too busy trying to take over Arsenal, and Josh is too busy tinkering with the Nuggets to see that this organisation has become embarrassingly horrible.

I remember the Eric Lindros situation. I hate to say this, but it’s going to take something similar to that, a player to publicly embarrass management, before anything is done. If I’m Seth Jones, I wouldn’t even BOTHER to put the uniform on, come draft day. I wouldn’t even shake Sherman’s hand.

More players need to come out and rip management. The problem comes from the top, and the cancer has found its way into the locker room.

Look what happened to the Capitals when they named Dale Hunter as coach. Train wreck.

Just because a guy was a team icon and a really good coach in juniors does not make him transition well to coaching at the NHL level. In junior, you’re dealing with kids. In the NHL, you’re dealing with men, huge egos, and huge contracts. It takes a very special coach to survive at the NHL level. And even a more special coach to survive AND succeed. If Roy was thought highly of to be a coach, there are a couple of teams that already would have hired him. Buffalo and Tampa. Neither has even inquired about his services.

This has everything to do with coaching. You think that they would be playing like this for Quennville? Nope. Jiggy is absolutely right when he says they have to be better in their own end, but what can you expect when you are playing Hunwick/Zanon and sending Tyson Barrie to the minors. The coaching staff has no control right now and a lot of it is their fault.

Exactly. The core (Duchene, O’Reilly, Johnson, Varlamov) has at least four years under its collective belt. They are not kids anymore and they should not be coached as if they are. Raise the expectation level for all of them and we’ll probably be pleasantly surprised with the results. Thank goodness Giguere, at least, understands this.

No, it’s the coach’s job to show the players what it takes to win, it’s the player’s job to go out and do it.

This is not a defense of Sacco… this is me pointing out that as far as “motivation” is concerned, if a pro athlete can’t get motivated to practice or to play it’s his problem, not his coach’s problem. If the Avs and their players don’t understand that, any coaching change the Avs make will only make a difference for those who are already motivated, but for those that Giguere is talking about a coaching change will not make any difference at all.

Although I understand the point you’re trying to make here Jimbo, I will respectfully disagree with you. “… if a pro athlete can’t get motivated to practice or to play it’s his problem, not his coach’s problem.” It is the coach’s problem!!! But it’s not ONLY the coach’s problem, it’s the problem for the entire team and organization. And if the coach (the hired hand to lead) does nothing to address this “lack of motivation”, than he is at just as much at fault as the lazy player is for not being ready to go at game time. Therefore, since Sacco isn’t addressing it, Sherman isn’t addressing it and we all know the majority of the players aren’t too worried about it either, otherwise we would have heard more distaste for such a culture within this club. But no, instead they wait until there’s so much resentment among the players that one guy puts it all out on the table because NOTHING EVER CHANGES!!!!!!!

Good for Jiggy for calling these fools out. Unfortunately, I think it’s a little too late for the rest of this season though.

Sacco doesn’t have a passionate bone in his body: does he ever smile, does he ever get excited? I remember a coach who won the Cup with the Avs who was a French-speaking coach who laughed, yelled, had fun and got the most out of our boys. Does the name Hartley ring a bell?

Reading your comment I don’t really think we disagree in the larger picture… I agree it is the coach’s problem because he’s in charge of the team, but that doesn’t mean the coach is the source of the motivation problem. What I am talking about is the notion put forth by the OP that changing coaches is going to motivate these players Giguere is talking about to play super-hard all of a sudden… I just don’t see that happening at all. I see the honeymoon period that happens with all new coaches giving the team a bump, but if the Avs are going to build a championship team, they need to get players who are driven to be champions from inside themselves, and a coach who merely guides that energy into focus. If the coach has to drive them, they might win a few more games but they will never be true winners, no matter who’s coaching them.

Sorry, didn’t mean to go off on a life-coach wavelength there.

You seem to think that Sacco isn’t addressing the issue, but how many tools does he have at his disposal? And, what’s a new coach going to do any differently… send somebody to the Super-Doghouse? Run a Double-Bag-Skate? Players are either going to listen to the coaches and do what they instruct, or they aren’t. So yes, an unmotivated team can reflect on its coach, but it’s the player’s reflection we see.

I don’t think Sacco is the source of the lack of motivation either, but he’s certainly the person responsible for addressing the lack of motivation individually and collectively. And I’m not so sure he has the skills to fix the negative culture with this team. In which case, you have to look at bringing in someone who can solve this mess. Which now becomes Sherman’s issue.

What do you think a bag skate is? A ‘this is a nice day exercise’? It is a motivational tool.

I get what you are saying and you are partially right and partially wrong. Where you are wrong is that for one to be a successful manager (coach) you have to learn how to motivate and empower your employees (or in this case, those who you lead) to be successful. Where you are right is in stating that it is up to your employees (players) to perform and execute.

The fact you reference having a ‘boss’ tells me a lot about your working relationship, which end you are on, and how much you still have to learn. While your values are laudable, your perspective is idealistic.

So I can’t have a perspective on motivation until I “learn” enough to not have a boss? How delightfully condescending of you. I guess I will just go back to my idealistic little world in which people are motivated to do the job they’re being paid to do because they’re being paid to do it, and you can stay in your little world in which you can’t seem to add anything to a discussion without personally attacking the person who disagrees with you.

You can have whatever perspective you want. You may be a great employee and self-motivated. Congratulations.

However, it is a manager’s (coach’s) responsibility to ensure their employees (players) are motivated. Your original remark is that you disagree it is a coach’s job to “motivate” professional players.

As for characterizing yourself as being personally attacked, grow up. If you think my remark is condescending then you need to truly need to toughen up. I specifically made edited my original far less critical than it originally was just because I was addressing you and was making it a point to be polite.

So let’s go back to the original point. Just exactly what do you think the purpose of a bag skate is?

But we don’t know that he doesn’t help them when they fail, we don’t know that at all. Sacco could be telling these players exactly what to do and some of them are simply failing to do it… and in a team sport, if some of the team is just not caring enough to do what’s required, it’s going to make everybody else look bad, including the coach.

Sacco’s job is to prepare the team for what they’re about to face, and to explain to them when they make mistakes and what to do to fix those mistakes. I am not convinced he is doing this part of his job, and it should cost him his job this offseason.

Motivating these players to do what the coach tells them is a separate issue, though, and that seems to be what Giguere is talking about. Yeah, getting them fired up to play or to emphasize the importance of skating a great shift is a part of his job, but by and large motivation with pros is going to come from within, or not at all. Sacco can bench them, and he can run the team through the ‘dreaded’ bag skate, but he’s been doing that already (and being criticized for it every time), and it’s clearly not working or Giguere wouldn’t have said anything.

Changing coaches will hopefully have the team better prepared and ready to play, and to some extent that should motivate certain players to play better because they will be (hopefully) winning more games, but the bottom line is that if the Avs have players on the roster who are just mailing it in and collecting a paycheck, the only way to address the root of that problem is to remove the player and bring in somebody else. If they think a new coach will magically improve the motivation of the players Giguere is calling out, they’re fools.

Erm, what more do you need to know other than the Av’s are at the bottom of the WHOLE FREAKING LEAGUE??? The coaching needs changed and then some on this organization. Trying to disect Sacco’s job is completely pointless.

You just linked to an article about coaching kids. Let me know if you find something relevant to this conversation about professional hockey players.

PS. Did you even read this article? It closes with the words, “For players, motivation ultimately comes from within. Coaches are there to push you in the right direction, but no one, except yourself, can control your effort and attitude.” So even in an article that has little to do with coaching professionals, it reaches the conclusion I’ve been stating all along.

I pose the same question to you as to whether you even read the article. Here is quoted excerpt from it concerning professional hockey coaches motivating players.

“Great coaches are not successful because they have exotic X’s and O’s, but because they are great at motivating a group of hockey players to all pull in the same direction. Being a great motivator is one of, if not the most important attribute of, a great coach . . .

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF JUST HOW IMPORTANT MOTIVATING IS COMES FROM HOCKEY COACHES AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. With the Winter Classic, HBO aired their series 24/7 – a behind the scenes look at the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers building up to their outdoor game.

The show gives fans access to the lockerrooms of both teams and an opportunity to hear the messaging toward their teams from two of the great NHL coaches in John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette.

What is so interesting is that both coaches consistently are preaching effort and attitude to their teams during team meetings, pre-game speeches and intermission. There is very little X’s and O’s and much more motivating and challenging their teams to give the best effort possible each night.

Speaking of Laviolette, how is it that a coach can win a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and then be fired two and half seasons later? Did he forget how to coach? No. This speaks to just how important communicating, connecting and motivating a hockey team is.

Laviolette is, and always has been, a great coach, but for a number of reasons, sometimes even the great coaches can lose their ability to connect with their team.

While this is most magnified at the highest levels of sports in the form of a firing, it can be true for all levels. Once a coach loses a team’s respect, their ability to motivate is basically gone. It doesn’t matter how great of a coach one may have been, different people respond to different motivating tactics.

This is why the great and long tenured coaches at all levels have a unique ability to change their approach and adjust to any given team. Some teams need more coddling while others need a more high intensity approach – the most successful coaches can adjust to either.”

Please reread the article. Note that I am making the utmost effort to be polite and non-condescending even though I think you deserve that treatment.

As for your statement about the players, you fail to address the corollary as to what the coaches role is. Let me quote what you wrote about hockey coaches.

“I disagree that it’s the coach’s job to “motivate” professional players.”

Should we say it is not the coach’s job but it is the most important thing they do? If so, the kindest way to describe to your conclusion is ‘weird.’

“— some guys are fighting to show that they belong in the NHL, some guys are fighting for contracts. And it’s just embarrassing, the way we, you know, the energy we have in the room and the way we approach practices and the way we approach this game”

At first I thought Jiggy was pointing at specific players, but the more I think about it, everything he said inadvertently points at the culture behind Avs management.

Refusing to spend money on veteran players, low-balling players if they don’t “prove” themselves, keeping around a work-ethic coach like Sacco whose only solution to a slump is less ice time..

The guys on the ice aren’t just tuning out Sacco, they’re tuning-in to the way this team is now run.

I think most Avs fans could agree, we hated losing but we understood a rebuild was coming. What we didn’t expect was that rebuild meant being so cheap that the talent would be brought up in a culture that focuses only on low-budget production and nothing about winning and the game of hockey.

this is just another reason why the lockout was so so stupid…these guys were in vegas before hand obviously and had already made future plans…it was on their minds the whole time the season started and it wasnt about going there for the awards show (which has been AWFUL since it moved there from toronto)

Really curious who the Vegas guys are and I wish Jiggy called them out in the locker room.

Finally, someone who says something about practice! I keep wondering how they do those things.. I’m so sick of hearing Haynes say “shoots wide/hit the post!” Maybe I even dream about it. I remember watching a video about Penguins practice a few years ago. Crosby was specifically practicing redirection/deflection.. And during that game, I think Sid scored a few because of deflection and everyone kept saying about how impressive it is that he specifically targets a weakness and do something about it. So I wonder, can’t the Avs figure out their weaknesses, are they too blind or what?

This all starts from the top management, who don’t give a care about the Avs organization and don’t know squat about hockey. They’re not bringing in players who know who to win (with the exceptions of Hejduk and Giggy) and are relying on AHL skilled and/or draft pick players to guide this team. Sacco doesn’t have the skills to coach a NHL level team. And when we do get players with good potential, the upper management either trades them or pushes them away (example: Shattenkirk). I’ve been an Avs fan since they moved to Colorado but this year I can’t bring myself to watch them or even care because of the lack luster efforts of the team and upper management. The organization needs to start by cleaning up the upper management and coaching to get a winning mentality back in the organization and then make some good decisions in the post season by either signing or trading players to bring some talent in.

The coaching is not a problem. If Giguère sees players are not working and taking practices seriously howcome the coaches don’t see it? I’ve always said your games is a reflection of your practices. It’s not the first time Jiggy mentions the lack of seriousness and effort in practices. We, fans, already know that. Howcome we know that? Look at the starts of each and every game, look at all the bad plays in our own end, the lack of competitiveness in all three zones, the lack of ability to shoot the puck on the net, even when it’s wide open, the fact this team can’t put in a 60 minutes effort often looking like a team that is out of gas. Sure, guys can give us the baloney “we haven’t given up on our coach” “we don’t want to lose every game” “we are not tanking” “we work hard, it’s not a lack of effort”, we are not blind. We’ve seen all your poor efforts night after night. We’ve seen your mental lapses in all three zones. We’ve seen how lazy you can get. Stop bulling us. You should all be ashamed of yourself.

Charlie Simmer on Sportsnet was saying how Duchene mentionned this morning the mental fatigue he felt from all the losing. I’m not even playing and I get a mental fatigue from watching you lose year after year.

I forgot to put an exclamation mark doubled by a question mark after my first sentence. I’m certainly not taking Sacco and the coaching staff off the hook. I want them all out. We need a coach that can correct things and bring in a system that works. Hell no. I’m sick and tired of this coaching staff.

Chantal, I really love reading your comments and usually agree with you, but I have to disagree with “coaching is not a problem.” If a coach is given a group of players and cannot , in 4 years, get them to improve their play from Day 1 of his being the Avs’ head coach until today, and, in fact, have them play more poorly than they did 4 years ago, then the fault lies squarely on the head coach and the other AHL assistants that came up with him.

If Sacco had pretty much the same group of players the entire four years he’s been here, you’d have a more valid point about Sacco getting them to improve their play. But guess how many players from his first season of coaching are still on this Avs roster? The answer is seven, and three of those (Wilson, Duchene, and O’Reilly) were rookies that season.

So from that playoff team til now, the Avs have turned about 70% of that roster over. While I do think that Sacco’s tenure as Avs coach should be coming to an end, you’ve got to factor in the roster he’s been given when you start questioning whether or not he’s been able to get the team to improve from day one til now.

I haven’t posted in here for a few weeks, but HOORAY!!!!!! Jiggy should be given some dang honest player of the year award and an extension on the contract. Thanks JSG. We won’t be at another game until the 19th, and so help me if the team doesn’t play well, I’ll be giving them what for all the way from the 3rd level and that includes O’Brien – if he ever sees the light of day again!!!!!

One problem I see is having Landeskog wearing the ‘C’. The kid has one year of NHL experience and all of a sudden they name him captain. This stuff that Jiggy is talking about is what happens when you give the 20 year old the ‘C’. He doesn’t know the first thing about leadership and quite frankly should have earned the C many years from now.

Landy being named the youngest NHL captain was a PR stunt designed to distract fans and others from what was really going on here. Long time AVS fans saw right thru this. He couldn’t say no so now he has sacrificed his game and learning about how to survive in the NHL. Now he is the AVS show pony doing PR and other stupid stuff. He is the pretty face on top of an extremely ugly organization. He should quit. Nobody would blame him. Actually nobody would blame our young talent from getting out of here ASAP. Maybe Bernie is available for Captain. I share Giggy’s embarrassment.

Who cares who wears the C? Do you not think that other players try and lead too? Or is it just the captain who leads? This is not the problem; it’s only a letter on a jersey. I guarantee if you put the C on Duchene or Giguere, or Hejduk, the problems won’t disappear. Hejduk wore it last year, and they sucked just as bad. THE C DOESN’T MATTER. Its basically prestige now, and thats it. Take the C off Crosby, and he still plays the same. Thats why it doesn’t matter.

You’re right, I doubt the team’s problems stem from who’s wearing the “C”. But, if you read Landeskog’s recent comments, it seems pretty clear that HIS problems, in part, stem from who’s wearing the “C”.

I had season tickets set for this year, and after the lockout greediness I canceled them. The NHL isn’t getting any of my money this year, and if the Avs don’t start playing like a team that has something to play for, or if they toss Jiggy for confirming what we as fans all suspected, they won’t be getting any of my money next year either.

I’d say its the coaching. Sacco needs to go. He’s been here for 4 years and nothing has happened. These guys need a change, new system, new structure in the defensive zone because this is clearly not working. Secondly, no more revolving lines. I understand that it may seem like a way to motivate but I think being benched for a period or 2 is a lot worse. You’re on the bench right beside the guys who are playing (not in a press box taking in a free hockey game). Have set lines, especially for the young guys like Barrie and Elliott. You can’t keep sending these guys to the minors than bring them back up a few days later. That’s not a way to build confidence in your future. Commit to 6 defensemen and 12 forwards. (Obviously if there are injuries, changes will have to be made but that’s why you have 3 guys who know they will be healthy scratches at the beginning of the season). Finally, they need to stop giving up the first goal in the first 5 minutes. Hold on to the puck and don’t try to make plays that aren’t there. They need to at least get past the first 5 minutes with absolutely no errors. So many times this year they have lost the game in the first 5 minutes.

Jiggy’s Vegas comment made me remember something Quincey said when he was traded. That guys in that dressing room had the bags packed waiting to get traded. He apologized for it afterwards but now makes me wonder whether or not he had it right the first time. Really makes me wonder what exactly is going on in that dressing room. Other than that, J.S., thank you for being a real MOFO and speaking your mind. If only half the guys in that room had the same mentality this team would be alright.

I was thinking this too… Quincey said something a lot like this on his way out the door, and got raked over the coals for it around here. But now when Giguere says it, people are calling him a “stand up guy, a real leader” and the sort of guy the team needs. Maybe that’s why Detroit traded a first-round pick to get Quincey back?

My money is on SOB being the distraction and planning the vegas trip. He bounced around too many teams and it seems that now we know why he landed here. We needed a cheap D-man with nowhere else to go. There’s a reason Sacco “doesn’t seem to like him” other than “Sacco is just a dumb idiot who doesn’t play good players.” On the coaching front it seems that a change is in order. They need a coach like Hitchcock who reportedly kept his locker room in Dallas so in check, that you couldn’t tell the difference between a win or a loss. This team needs to grow up and needs more leaders to step up like Giggy did.

I would just love to sit down across from Josh K. and have him look me in the eye when I ask him (and his billions) how he, if he has even a shred of decency in him, can expect me (and the majority of Avs fans) to spend our honest and hard earned money supporting our beloved team when this organization under his leadership (I use the term loosely) has the audacity to put such a poor product on the ice. At this time I feel bad for the players – at their core they all have pride – they all want to be a part of a winning team. I don’t think I’m saying anything people don’t realize when I say that winning is more than anything a MENTALITY! One that this organization sorely lacks. THe core talent is there – I can only imagine what a Mike Babcock or a Dave Tippett would do with a core of talented young players. I could only dream what a competent GM like Ray Shero (ok, maybe brilliant GM) would do to sign the right players. So yeah, you’re probably going to have to OVERPAY at this point to get some players in here. But even if it’s just for a year or two, getting players and more importantly, getting a COACH that brings a winning mentality in here is at the very least the first step in righting this quickly sinking ship.
What I truly don’t understand about the Kroenke’s is this: There have to be a thousand more efficient ways to fleece the world and make $$ than buying sports teams. I mean, when billionaires invest in sports teams it’s to boost their egos, to have a hobby, to be able to say “look, I’m a winner.” How many collective championships between the Nuggets, Avs, Arsenal, Rams since the Kroenke’s have owned them? I’m sure opening 1000 new stores in places no one wants them would make more money.
So Josh K. I ask you again – I work hard, I love the Avs. If the past 2 seasons were decided by bad luck we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but your tenure has been defined by doing a horrible horrible job. If someone besides daddy would evaluate you you would have been FIRED a long time ago. So, tell me – why should I spend my money on a team when you have done nothing to earn the respect of any true Avs fan? Sincerely, SB

This team is a mess. Can we get rid of Ryan O’Reilly yet? For all that you read about this guy being a rink rat and his vaunted commitment to the game, he seems to be loafing it out there, and the entire attitude of the team has gone down hill since he got back. Am I saying that it is all his fault? Hardly, but for all the talk about how he was what we were missing when we were hanging around .500 I think the question needs to be asked if A) he is really any good and B) does he even want to play here anymore?

We’re heading for another complete rebuild. Chicago had to do it twice before they got it right, but the Avs had better learn from their more PR related moves, such as signing Stastny to a monster contract. I’ve been watching this team almost every game since ’96, even though I moved to DC and have to stay up until 1 to watch them, and I am at a complete loss for what they should do. I don’t think they have all the talent that people do, I think they should have let O’Reilly go, trade Paul and David Jones for a used puck bag for all I care. Start over around Duchene and Landeskog. We’re looking at a long road ahead, the new New York Islanders, I fear

Guess ur sleep deprived…..this team has been going down way before o’reilly….the guys you want to get rid of have just been beaten down….a coach that shows no respect for his players doesn’t get much in return…he’s basically taking his failure as a coach out on the players….their pretty much stuck in a really bad situation! I’m sure more than one of them just want to get out of this mess…who could blame them! At this point I don’t see how anybody can even start to blame this on one or two players, that’s just not the problem! So maybe you should get some sleep!

Has the contract extension for O’Brien helped us? What about Jones’ contract or McGinn’s? Don’t forget Eric “I dropped my stick again” Johnson either!!! Plus, they signed guys like Zanon and brought up Bordeleau to save the day and we all see how well that’s working out. Zanon and Bordeleau suck balls, plain and simple!!!!! Thank God they got rid of the other big dufus, O’Byrne.

Plus, we have no farm system to speak fondly of and the guys that get to play in the NHL during injuries or healthy scratches are not NHL ready. Yet people want to harp about O’Reilly being the problem. At this point, I’d take 50 O’Reillys over the trash we currently have for a team.

I hope Sacco hasn’t been as harsh to the players as you are! That’s a joke! Think about it, how do you think you would play if your boss was calling you trash or a dufus? Not to mention your fans! The problem with your comments are the “they”! We have some real talent on our team,the management has just beat them down,kind of like what you just did! Some people seem to enjoy being negative, maybe you should coach!

First off, I EARN my paycheck so no, my boss doesn’t get to call me names for not performing. Although, I do call her names sometimes because she under-performs daily and makes my job harder than it needs to be. Second, you can have all the talent in world and still not execute on game day, which is EXACTLY what the Avs fail to do consistently. Hence, the whole purpose of Jiggy calling out his teammates after repeated terrible performances over a long span of time. Third, since I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to say when you said, ” The problem with your comments are the “they”! I’ll assume you don’t know what you’re talking about either. Lastly, for someone to suggest that I enjoy being negative because I have a different perspective than you do, only goes to show that you make decisions based on limited information and it must suck living in your world.

I am a frequent commenter here, always willing to offer my two cents worth. Sadly all I feel like saying at this point is “no comment”. Then again I can’t resist. The team needs to clean house from the ownership down to some of the players. Why doesn’t Sakic have a meaningful position? Why is Eric Lacroix in the organization? Why is Sherman (a bean counter) GM? Exactly what is Lacroix senior’s function these days? You don’t go from being a genius to a dummy all of a sudden. JSG hit the nail on the head, and it’s less the so called “Vegas trip” than, to paraphrase “some are trying to prove they can play in the NHL, some are playing for contracts, etc.” This is not a TEAM it’s a group of players playing together, there’s no chemistry.

Whatever he says or Duchene says nothing is changing. I’m getting tired about all this. This team looks the same now that it did at the end of Granato’s tenure, just careless.
Change the coaching staff but no more guy from the inside. Get a real hard working coach now, get a real GM, push Lacroix to retirement and start from there.
And while you’re at it get also read of Eric Lacroix and Craig Billington.

Ok so the fact that Jiggy was talking to Dutchie before he made those comments makes me wonder….Dutchie is no saint in what is going on here….he has stopped skating made bad defensive decision, and is basically throwing a fit since ROR came back….I don’t think it is ROR’s fault I think the team needs to get over the fact that they are not going to make the post season and play for pride.

I don’t have anything to say that the rest of you haven’t already said. Very disappointed in the product that the Avs keep presenting to us fans. Time for new ownership…heck, time to fire everyone from “Greg from Accounting”, Sacco, and all the way down to the guy selling overpriced hotdogs and beer. Kroenke Sports Enterprises won’t be getting anymore of my hard earned money until some significant changes are made. “Suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked”. Thanks for your honesty Giguere…you deserve better than this.

As we speak, Avalanche PR goons with earpieces & dark sunglasses are probably interrogating Giguere in the boiler room of the Pepsi Center, trying to extract his confession for heresy and apostasy against Dear Leader Lacroix. Grand Inquisitor Sherman (from Accounting) will then render the verdict. Be afraid Jean Sebastien. Be very afraid.

Good for GIguere..it is scary though that a guy who is in the twilight of his career and who is essentially a backup seems to care more than guys who are in the early 20’s, who have yet to even solidify themselves in the league.

This is the sort of fire and brimstone Sacco should be reigning down on these guys after each embarrassing loss. Also I would really like to know whose running around the locker room touting there postseason trip to Vegas..that one made me spit up my drink! I know Dater doesn’t want to speculate but I will, I think it’s David Jones. He’s going to take that 4 mill he stole this year and hit the blackjack tables.

Jiggy has it on the dot. Just because you made it to the NHL does not mean you get to coast by and play half ass’ed and make your self look like a big of crap…. This is where I believe that the players should get played on how well they play. not just a straight up contract . The goalie can only do so much and when your team cant even get the puck out of their own zone and are playing like they are killing a penalty when it 5 on 5 its honestly in my opinion disgraceful…. Its hard for some people to keep backing a team that was almost a back to back Stanley cup championship team to being at the bottom of the western conference and standing DEAD LAST in the entire league…

It’s about time someone spoke the truth about the state of this organization. I think everyone knows the the entire Mgmt team and coach needs a complete overhaul. So let’s get beyond that. If you look at any successful team there is a MIX of young talented players combined with seasoned professionals to form the right core of a TEAM. The Avs have young players but with the exception of Hejduk and Giguere there is no real leadership from veteran guys. Landeskog was not the right pick to be captain – he might be in the future, but he was not the Veteran leader this immature group needed NOW. This situation is similar to the Broncos. Then they finally brought in Elway and gave him real decision making power. He started running things the right way and re-building the wining tradition. And…look at the results. I’m afraid the Avs ownership will not be smart enough or care enough about the team to do the same.

OK, since you said it, who would have been a better pick for captain than Landeskog? Hejduk didn’t want it, goalies (generally) don’t wear it, and everybody’s favorite former golden boy, O’Reilly, decided he like money more than leadership. SO WHO WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER? Duchene? He basically is the captain right now, “C” or not, AND THEY’RE STILL LOSING! Let’s face it, the captaincy has NOTHING to do with this. The team is the same regardless of who wears the C.

If the captaincy of an NHL team has no bearing anymore than I’m pretty sure teams would have pushed to move away from it a long time ago. The reason you don’t hear much about it (other than the Avs) is because other teams have functional captains that do their jobs!!!!!!!! Selecting the wrong captain is just as bad as not having a captain at all. So yeah, the Avs are dumb for even putting that kid in that role prematurely. He’ll be decent captain someday, but he’s just not there yet. Plus, the Avs are so messed up right now, they don’t even have any players with those leadership qualities with the exception of Jiggy.

Jiggy as a true player, and a stand up guy. Telling it how it is, and breaking through Sherman and Sacco’s cryptic “It just wasn’t there tonight, we can’t get down on ourselves” bull crap. Hopefully Jiggy’s truthful words lit a F$%&ing fire…

This also makes you think about what Varly has had to deal with ALL SEASON! Giguere blew his lid after 3 starts, and Varly has started, what…23 games? Imagine how irritated he is too. Managment and the PLAYERS need to reward these two for putting up with this crap.

Varly gave up… after so many games with no support from his teammates. I dont even blame him, that’s one tough way to make a living. Jiggy on the other hand is a veteran who has deserved the right to come out like this, and I congratulate him for it.

If this doesnt force the management to act this summer and ring some changes, nothing will.

I am so thankful for Giggy right now. He has said what needed to be said a long time ago. This isn’t the Colorado Avalanche that we all know, this is a bunch of disorganized minor-leaguers strutting our beloved logo. Sacco needs to be fired and we need someone OUTSIDE OF THE FRANCHISE to take the role of coach. We have impressive talent but that is washed out by a locker room filled with guys who could care less. Can you imagine what all the Avalanche greats are thinking/ saying right now. I really hope Sherman straitens this out or we get a new GM who will. I’m tired of the excuses, I want things to get done and I want the Avs to get back to being a team that others really fear and look out for to win the cup, not just a freebee team that hands out points every night. News flash Avs, stop making events like trophy night to attract fans, grow a pair and make this team live up to the Avalanche’s history and reputation that we once had to get the fans to come back.

Last night’s contest was the battle for 14th place in the west, so congrats, Calgary!! It also took the Avs post-season hopes this year from ‘miracle required’ to ‘mathematically impossible.’
Management had probably figured this much already, having made no efforts to alter the team’s chemistry the week before trade deadline, so most of the players are just following their lead by not trying. I don’t blame JSG for being mad though. He’s too good to be back-up on the suckiest team in the NHL!
I hear the Nuggets are doing some good things this year…

When you integrate players that know the season is lost and a coach who is
not capable of running a NHL team, you end up with a team like the
Avalanche. We are in the same situation that Toronto was in for the past
5 years, unfortunately we are just at the start of it so it could be a long road if the Avs don’t do something about it in the off season. They need to shed the players who
are lacking heart and ability, along with bringing on a coach that is
capable of running a NHL team. Ex: “Lindy Ruff”. If the Avs played
hockey like they did Vs. the Red Wings every night, this season would be
completely different. Build around PA, Landy, Duchene, and the #1 draft
pick Seth Jones. Along with keeping the players that work hard
every-time they hit the ice. Ex: McGinn, Mitchell, McLeod, and
O’Reilly.I think that could make the Avs a power house team as they were
in the past.

I had occasion to speak with Adam Foote not long ago. I asked him about our defense as it seems they allow opponents too much time in front of the net and that specifically Eric Johnson is afraid to take anyone into the boards. Honestly, show me the last time he laid a hit on ANYONE. Footers comments: the Avs don’t have any quality defensemen currently. They have a bunch of 4, 5, and 6 players and not one 1, 2, or 3 players. If the blame needs to be spread around, it may be Kroenke, and it may be Greg Sherman, or possibly Sacco can’t get enough passion out of his players. Not sure, but I’m predicting a good house cleaning is in order.

Josh Kroenke, Greg Sherman and Joe Sacco, are a collective group drowning a franchise into embarrassment and mediocrity. It’s a shame I grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, never getting to see the glory days on the ice. I went to my first game when I moved to Colorado in 2003, immediately, I was hooked. There were some pretty good years even after the cup wins, of playoff appearances and great regular season action. Lately, we, as fans, have seen a group of ownership and staff neglecting a team with a great core of young players and a fan base that is hungry for wins and championship runs. We get it Josh, you’re a Nuggets guy, and you should probably sell the team to someone who cares about hockey. If your purpose is to have cocktails among who’s who of Denver and gloat about owning a team, at least gloat about owning a winning team. You’re pathetic and a joke of an owner with no hockey knowledge. You’re a guy that likes to hire yes men who will bury a team under an “Avalanche” of gloom and doom. But, that’s okay, don’t worry about the fans who spend their hard earned money in a below average economy on YOUR TEAM. I wouldn’t be surprised to see our top young players request trades, anything to not have to play for such a moron of an owner and GM. Again, sell the Avalanche to someone who cares and stop slapping the fans and the employees in the face!

What do you want from a 20 year old player in his second year? Sure the players need to play and step up, but at what point is a house cleaning needed so that guys like Sherman, and Sacco can hit the road? As I suggested, Kroenke also needs to sell the team and continue putting his effort into his baby, the Nuggets. It starts from the top, if ownership can’t even put a good team on the ice, what do you expect from the players?

Tom is totally right here. If Landeskog isn’t willing to do the exact thing Giguere just did, then he should step down as Captain. It’s part of the job description. It’s more and more apparent every day that Landeskog was never ready to be Captain and he should have turned it down when he was asked. He’s a huge part of the problem. Sakic would never have left it up to another player to rant to the media. He’d have done it weeks ago.

It’s a different perspective form a guy that’s had so much time in the league versus a twenty year old that hasn’t even had two seasons in the league. Not to say that Landeskog shouldn’t be firing them up in the locker room, but when you have someone like Giguere who’s probably sat in the back of the locker room just watching and listening, it’s probably an entirely different emotion coming from the “sleeper cell” of the group, if you will.

Don’t blame Landeskog. He’s still just a green kid learning the ropes in this league. We all know he never should’ve been given the “C” in the first place because of his age & inexperience. Big mistake on the part of management—among many. And we also know that Hejduk, despite his stellar career, doesn’t have a captain’s mindset, or vocal nature needed to get teammates attention. Unfortunately, no one on this team (in my opinion) has leadership qualities other than Giguere. And I don’t want to hear the name of Ryan O’Reilly either. He’s proven himself to be a self-absorbed little punk & a half. Personally, I would’ve resigned Jay McClement at the end of last season and given the captaincy to him. But we know how that turned out.

The thing is, Landeskog could have said “No Thanks, not just yet” and he didn’t. he accepted the challenge, and therefore is allowed to be blamed for his failure as Captain of this team. It’s his job to lead the team. If he didn’t want that responsibility, then all he had to do was say No. He didn’t say no.

The point is, he shouldn’t have even been offered it in the first place. A 19-20 year old kid is gonna be so flattered & starstruck with the opportunity to be an NHL captain that he’ll jump at the chance if it’s offered to him—as Landeskog did. It’s like offering your teenaged son the choice between Mom’s 8 yr. old Buick, or a spankin’ new Corvette. Gee, which do you think he’ll choose? The kid’s not thinking that he’ll probably wrap the Vette around a telephone pole, is he? That’s why you don’t tempt him with something he’s not ready to handle.

I’d be willing to bet a Grand that during the next pre-game segment on Altitude, none of this is spoken about at all. They’ll continue to keep it ALL POSITIVE, ALL THE TIME.

If Gigure has said this 2 weeks ago, he’d have been traded immediately. The only reason he’s still on the roster is because he can’t be traded now. But that said, he’ll be released the minute the season is over.

I spoke too soon. He won’t be released. He’ll be traded. Giguere still has a year left on his contract. The Kroenke’s are too cheap to just release him and still pay him money. They’ll probably take a 6th round pick for him, just to move him off the team. In AvsLand, if you speak out negatively, you’re gone.

The guy just made a little rant to the media and suddenly the rumors start flying!!!! Jiggy knows he’s at the end of the road in his career and not very many teams would be willing to give up much to get him. The Avs just gave him an extension on his contract and his family loves living in Colorado. It would be hard-pressed to get him to forfeit his NTC at this point unless massive was waiting in the wings. Just don’t see it man…

Jiggy’s refreshing rant is 100% accurate. It is interesting that when Foot retired, the focus on this team became more inconsistent. All of the captains for this team since then have given an impression of inadequacy. I think Landy is going to be a great Captain for this team and is not a bad one right now either, but was forced to take the reigns too soon as a publicity stunt of “building towards the future”. Hejduk was an obvious choice last year with his seniority of the team, but he has never been that general who readies the troops and he knew that. I believe the management had originally planned for Parise to come in and be the new Captain (we offered him more money than the Wild), but we all know how that played out. Point is that Jiggy is right and the mindset of this team has been seriously lacking for some time now. I think at this point a new coach will be the fastest way to instill a new mentality into this team. Even if Sacco were not the true problem, he has obviously lost the ability to get anything out of many of the players on this team. The players that are poison and don’t fit should be traded or cut. The Avs have a lot of talent, but are far away from being a team.

Come on people, do you really think the reason this team failed is because Landeskog didn’t step up and fire up the players around him? Absolutely not, the reason this team failed is based on multiple issues. No defensive help, the Avalanche have guys that would play on the third line of other teams defensive pairings, at best. They have 3-4 goal scorers, and 3-4 goons who spend most of the game in the penalty box. With no defense, and spending at least 10 minutes/game in the box, it’s no surprise why they’re getting blown out. Joe Sacco shows no emotion, at all, on the bench. Ownership feels the need to ignore this team which is odd because you would think they would want a winning team to put butts in the seats (this means more money). So lets not try and put too much blame on a 20 year old. Yes he could have said no, I don’t want to be captain, but so what! Okay lets make Duchene the captain, does that all of a sudden jolt this team out of trouble and into the playoffs? Lets stop fooling ourselves, this team has bigger, way bigger, problems than a 20 year old captain in his second year.

Said it before, gonna say it again. The majority of the fault lies with the coach and the rest with the front office for keeping him around. We have some serious talent on the ice. It seems that we need someone who can harness and focus this talent. I was going to quit watching after the the off season/most of the season debacle but I just love hockey too much. Ownership has 1 year to get it right (I don’t even need a playoff season just a well coached, motivated team), or I will forever give up on the Avs. Go Wild!

Jiggy is right and i like him BUT for me its more than obvious now: the team is playing against Sacco. They ALL know he is not the right coach for them, that this team will not have success under this dump-and-chase-coach! Sacco seems to be a nice guy, but a NHL coach has to be one of the best hockey coaches around this world and Sacco is not one of them….

Good for Jiggy. I wish my Habs had had a character guy like that to say what everyone else was thinking last year. I loved Jiggy from when he was a Moosehead to now and it is nice to see a professional athlete stand up and not only demand others start taking responsibility, but also include himself in it.

Adrian, I really love your blog but this whole Giguere has really bugged me. You know who he’s speaking about and due to I believe not wanting to lose the “trust” of players and exclusives. You’re not actually doing your journalistic duty in not reporting what’s going on with the team. As a fan of your work I am disappointed.

As much as everyone wants to dissect this, it’s obvious that it started with a few problems and has snowballed since then. It’s EVERYTHING at this point. Sacco has to go, but that’s only going to do minimal good unless Sherman is fired as well and LaCroix figures out how to manage a salary cap….not to mention figures out how to hire coaches that aren’t mediocre AHL staff. We also have to get rid of dead weight (underperformers and overpaid-ers) like Stasney, Zanon, Jones, McGuinne, O’Brien, Hunwick, and McCloud. I also think that Duchene would honestly serve as a better captain, not only because he finally found the secret to his game but because the man freaking BLEEDS burgundy and blue. But if we don’t do all of this soon, we’re going to have to deal with yet another issue: what talent we DO have, leaving. Giguere, Varly, Johnson, Barrie, Landy, even Duchene will eventually want out. O’Reilly was already at that point and probably still is. Hedjuk is likely retiring. What’s left? A “decent” draft pick, because we’ll likely play just well enough to screw ourselves out of #1? Come on

i think it was about time that someone said something,but I think the coaches should’ve picked that up before Jiggy.Its a little too late now.Try to keep it together til the end of the season.go avs go!

6 months later…..Joe Sacco fired, Joe Sakic named Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, and most importantly Patrick Roy is hired as head coach. Thank you Jiggy. The team needed brutal honesty and the organization responded.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.